Santa Monica International School - SMIS

We are looking forward to have you as part of our growing community. Our school provides programs for 1 year old to Kindergarten. Santa Monica International School (SMIS) is a member of International Schools Association (ISA) and Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP).

SMIS philosophy is to provide a positive, safe, academically-engaged environment which provides an effective educational program with a balanced progressing curriculum allowing each child to grow and develop according to his/her age.

Our goal is to create a community of learners that grows together with their parents and teachers. SMIS will help the children grow as individuals through educating them in partnership with their families. SMIS aspires to create an atmosphere where school is an extension of the family and where teachers, parents, and the children interactions involve strong connection.

Mission Statement

We are committed to provide high quality early childhood education as well as a safe and developmentally appropriate environment for both preschool and kindergarten students. We are dedicated to provide educational experience that promotes each child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Vision Statement

The school envisions that all its students will grow to their fullest potential. SMIS anticipates the students to develop self-worth, self-confidence, independence, love of nature, leadership, good manners, and right conduct to create a strong sense of citizenship.

Value Statement

• Santa Monica International School places high value on professionalism in its teachers, faculty, parents and students.
• Moral values are taught in etiquette, manners and good citizenship in the classrooms.
• Individual values in harmony with societal values are strongly encouraged.
• School is the center of expertise in learning. SMIS expects students, parents and teachers to place value in education and value commitment towards our students’ future.

In this area, the goal is to develop in every child a strong and realistic sense of independence and self-reliance. This area in the curriculum focuses on developing skills that would allow every child to effectively control and deal with social as well as with the physical environment in which he/she lives.

This program aims to in still in the mind of young children the value of their bodies’ health and safety. Through first-hand experiences provided for each child, the ability to understand and control their bodies is increased. In a supervised environment, children experience growth in gross motor development and learn to use small muscle to improve a variety of fine motor skills. The program helps the children to have concrete knowledge about age-appropriate healthy choices in daily life.

Our classrooms promote an environment that is stimulating, challenging, and non-competitive, allowing each child to get ahead at their own pace. At this stage of child development, the school seeks to aid in the development of the child’s vocabulary, reading skills, and command of language.

Through integrated curriculum, each child will be freely exposed to an environment that will stimulate or challenge him/her to gradually grasp simple mathematical concepts. This program aims to develop in each child the skills of comparing and classifying objects, relationships, and events in their environment. It seeks to develop the ability to explore and discover simple ways to measure, which leads to the development of an understanding of numbers and exploration of simple mathematical processes.

Through supervised activities, each child is given special attention aiming to aid his/her development of fine motor skills necessary for pencil control. Traditional emphasis on handwriting is stressed at the school and children are encouraged to take pride in their printed/written work.

This area seeks to foster a positive attitude toward science through a program that allows active hands-on experiences among the children. The preschool science program aims to develop among the children the awareness of simple scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things. Further, it fosters awareness of simple scientific knowledge related to the earth.

At an early age, children begin to be aware of the components of the social environment where they live. Through this program, children will eventually acquire skills and attitudes required to live in a society. This program seeks to aid children in understanding and interpreting their relationship and place within their own environment.

Japanese LessonJapanese class is held once a week from 3 years old class up to Kindergarten class.